Thursday, May 19, 2016

Communist-affiliated 'Panspoudastiki' gains second place in Greece's student union elections

Thousands of students supported the lists of “Panspoudastiki KS” (PKS) in the student union elections held on the 18th of May. They struggled alongside the members of KNE (Communist Youth of Greece) in order to shape a positive result of the student union elections. For third consecutive year, "Panspoudastiki" emerges at a national level as the second force in Greece's Universities and Technological Institutes. With more than 20% of the votes, "Panspoudastiki" confirmed it's significant role in the student movement.

According to the results (in 191 from 199 University Schools), "Panspoudastiki" gains 20.46% (10,042 votes). 

DAP-NDFK (of the conservative New Democracy Party) gains 30.27%, PASP (of the social-democratic PASOK) gains 10.76%, EAAK (Ultra-left affiliated with Antarsya Party) receives 8.46% while the SYRIZA-supported "Bloko" faces an electoral disaster with only 0.94%. Other powers of the left (supported by 'Popular Unity' Party) gains 7.43%. 

In Technological Institutes (TEI), "Panspoudastiki" gains 23%, being the second power after the right-wing DAP-NDFK (25.07%). 

Commenting on the student union elections' results, the Secretary of the Communist Youth of Greece Nikos Abatielos, among others, said the following:

"The thousands of young men and women who supported "Panspoudastiki KS", who participated in their lists, consist a significant power which must and will used in daily struggle, for the militant reorganisation of the student movement, (for) the revival of the university student associations [...] The dreams and the needs of the youth for education, jobs, life with rights do not fit in today's rotten exploitative system".